


King of My Heart

by supremesapphic



Series: King of My Heart Universe [1]
Category: Private Practice
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29198916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supremesapphic/pseuds/supremesapphic
Summary: Addison and Jake meet over pineapples in the supermarket two years earlier than canon, and it changes everything.
Relationships: Addison Montgomery/Jake Reilly
Series: King of My Heart Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2208978
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	King of My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I've clowned, once again. Title and lyrics are from the Taylor Swift song of the same name.
> 
> Dedicated to Michelle, Jenna, Bee, and the rest of Pineapple Nation. Cheers to more Jaddison breakdowns.

_I’m perfectly fine, I live on my own_

_I made up my mind, I’m better off being alone_

“Maybe what you need is to stay single for a while.” Naomi suggests. They’re sitting on the couch in Addison’s office, commiserating with one another over chocolate cake as usual. Addison groans, shaking her head. “Come on Addie, it could be good for you.”

“I’m afraid if I give up on men now I might give up on them forever.” Addison says, her mouth full of cake. She quickly swallows before speaking again. “And then I’m going to wind up a shriveled old spinster with eighty cats.” 

“Well, at the very least consider widening your dating pool. You know, start dating people you didn’t meet at the practice or hospital.” Naomi replies. Addison makes a noncommittal noise, grabbing another slice of cake. She’d much rather drown her feelings in food rather than think about dating again. The entire situation with Noah had drained her of all motivation and interest to date ever again. “And you never know, maybe you’ll meet the love of your life out on a run on the beach.” Naomi continues optimistically, “Or at the gym…”

_Or at the supermarket,_ Addison thinks to herself sarcastically later that night. She’d changed out of her work clothes into her Yale hoodie and a pair of denim shorts upon arriving home, before realizing she desperately needed to grab groceries. Which brought her to her current predicament, grabbing fresh produce and trying to ignore the devastatingly handsome man on the opposite aisle. _Fuck it,_ Addison thinks to herself as she grabs the nearest item—pineapples. _Naomi told me to expand my horizons anyway._

“Hey, I was wondering… how do you tell when these things are ripe?”

_We met a few weeks ago_

_Now you try on calling me ‘baby’ like trying on clothes_

In spite of their awkward first meeting, Addison and Pineapple Guy find themselves in the supermarket again the following night. She likes him, she realizes as she’s driving home later after their date, and if him kissing her was any indication, it seemed Pineapple Guy liked her too. They’d exchanged numbers, but not names. _I want to do this differently,_ she said. _Let’s make a change._ They ended their next date with the promise of telling each other their names on the next one. 

Addison found herself smiling as she entered the elevator that Monday, giddy with excitement for her next date with Pineapple Guy later that night. Naomi gives her a questioning look, raising an eyebrow. “What’s got you in such a good mood?”  
  


“Who, me?” Addison asks innocently. “Nothing.”

“That’s a lie and you know it.” Naomi accuses. “You saw your Pineapple Guy again didn’t you?” Addison pretends not to have heard her, causing Naomi’s eyes to widen. “You did! Please tell me you finally told each other your names.”

Addison remains silent, willing the elevator to go faster. She was definitely not in the mood for a lecture from Naomi to start off her day. Naomi continues on, figuring the answers out for herself. “Addison! You realize you’ll have to tell each other your names eventually right?”

“Yes, Nai.” Addison sighs, growing irritated with her best friend’s badgering. Thankfully they were finally on the third floor. “I’m meeting him again tonight, and we promised we’d tell each other everything.”

“Good.” Naomi says as the elevator doors open for the fourth floor, where Pacific Wellcare was located. She steps outside, turning around to say to Addison before the doors close, “I’m just trying to look out for you, Addie.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.” Addison mutters to herself. She gets off on the next floor, preparing herself for a long day. She was going to be interviewing doctors with Sam to take Naomi or Pete’s spot in the practice. At least they only needed one doctor now, after Charlotte bought in. 

It wasn’t exactly a disaster per se, but most of the doctors they’d interviewed didn’t seem like a good fit for the practice. Addison was at least entertained by the woman who’d unabashedly flirted with Sam the entire interview, she’d teased him afterwards that maybe he would want to give the number on the resume a call and ask her out. Sam shook his head, though Addison could tell he was blushing. 

“The next candidate looks pretty promising.” Sam says, switching the topic. “Double board certified in OB-GYN and general surgeon, kinda like you.”

“I’m a neonatal surgeon, Sam.” Addison corrects, flipping through the resume. “He’s got a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology, so he can replace Nai. She said he’s good, by the way, but I’ve never heard of Jake Reilly before so I can’t attest to that.”

“Oh, there he is.” Sam points out, noticing their interviewee walking up to the glass door of the meeting room. Addison looks up, her eyes widening. 

_Salute to me, I’m your American queen,_

_And you move to me like I’m a Motown beat_

_And we rule the kingdom inside my room_

“Well I think the interview went well.” Jake greets a few hours later. After an awkward interview that involved Addison asking way too many personal questions and Sam giving her weird looks, Sam had declared Jake a good fit for the practice while Addison still had her reservations. They were currently at the bar they’d agreed to meet at for their date. Addison gives him a bewildered look as she sits down beside him. “Don’t you?”

“I cannot believe you’re a doctor.” Addison replies. “Seriously, what are the chances of me meeting a hot guy over freaking pineapples and him turning out to be not just a doctor, but also applying for a job at my practice?”

“I’d say pretty small but hey, I think we got off on the wrong foot back there.” Jake says. Addison raises an eyebrow as he smiles and holds out a hand. “Hi, I’m Jake Reilly, fertility specialist.” 

Addison bites back a smile, taking his hand and shaking it. “Addison Montgomery, neonatal surgeon.” 

They talk over drinks, telling each other about themselves. Apparently they’re both from the East Coast and moved to LA. He went to Duke, has three sisters, and worked to put himself through college. She can’t help but hang on to every word he says, sharing her own stories and bits of her personal life. Eventually, the conversation steers to the topic of work.

“So, do you have a non-fraternization policy at the practice?” Jake asks casually. Addison holds back a laugh, thinking about how the rest of the practice has all shacked up at one point, between Violet and Pete, Charlotte and Cooper, and Naomi and Sam. 

“No.” She shakes her head, smiling at him.

“Good.” Jake responds, leaning closer. “That means there’s nothing stopping me from doing this.”

He kisses her softly, and she responds in kind, bringing a hand up to caress his cheek. They break apart a bit later, Addison pulling away first and giving him a mischievous smile. “Who says you got the job?” 

“Who says I didn’t?” Jake challenges, raising an eyebrow. Addison grins, her eyes wandering back to his lips again and thinking about how good they felt against hers. And about all the things they could do. 

“Let’s get out of here.” 

_‘Cause all the boys and their expensive cars_

_With their Range Rovers and their Jaguars_

_Never took me quite where you do_

“Hello, Dr. Reilly.” Addison greets, stepping into his office. It was Jake’s first day at work at the practice, and the two of them had agreed not to tell their coworkers about their relationship just yet. Addison had, surprisingly, managed to keep her word and not even tell Naomi. Jake was fitting in pretty well thus far, having already befriended Cooper and Sam. 

“Dr. Montgomery.” Jake replies with a smirk. “You can call me Jake at work, you know.”

“I thought we agreed to keep it professional.” Addison teases, walking over to sit in his lap. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and presses their lips together. He responds in kind, placing his hands around her hips. 

“There was nothing professional about that.” Jake says after they pull apart. 

“I needed a consult.” Addison says innocently, standing up and making her exit. 

Jake calls after her, “Feel free to come back for another.”

_And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for_

_King of my heart, body and soul (ooh woah)_

“Gee, Jake. You really know how to impress a girl.” Addison huffs. It was Saturday, and Jake had promised her they would do something fun on their date. She’d assumed he meant bowling or going to the movies, but at the very least it wasn’t camping (which still gave her unfortunate flashbacks to living in the trailer). They’d been hiking for a couple hours now, and still had a fair distance to go before the trail circled back. 

“You wanna take a break?” Jake offers. Addison nods, taking a seat on a nearby rock. She pulls out her water bottle and takes a sip before offering it to him. Jake takes a swig and hands it back before speaking again. “Can you handle the rest of the way or am I going to have to carry you back to the car?” 

Addison rolls her eyes playfully and shoots back with, “I can take it, but I wouldn’t oppose it if you offered to carry me.” 

“Your wish is my command.” Jake grins, scooping her up in a bridal carry. Addison laughs, but before she can ask him to put her down the two of them freeze, overhearing someone crying for help. The two doctors lock eyes, both looking concerned. Jake carefully puts Addison down and they quickly go over to the source of the noise. 

_And all at once, you’re all I want, I’ll never let you go,_

_King of my heart, body and soul (ooh woah)_

The hiking incident had brought them even closer than before. It had been fun before that, and passionate, but what had occurred out there in the desert had given them a new level of intimacy. Addison was surprised how no one at the practice had realized they were together yet, as they were practically joined at the hip when not seeing patients but everyone else was wrapped up in their own problems. Case in point: the two of them were currently in the elevator with Charlotte and Cooper, who were apparently not speaking to one another. 

“He’s not talking to me.” Charlotte complains. 

“I’m not not talking.” Cooper says quietly, glancing at Jake.

“He’s barely talking.” Charlotte replies snidely, glancing at Addison. Jake and Addison share a look, both feeling extremely awkward. “I was married, long time ago.” Charlotte continues. “I told him, but he seems to think I didn’t tell him soon enough.”

Addison clears her throat. “Well, that’s... none of my business.”

Safe to say the two lovers were grateful the elevator finally opened on their floor. Addison hurries out, Jake following closely behind her. Addison stops short at the sight of an older man standing by the door of her office. Jake, noticing how she had suddenly stiffened, moves to stand closely behind.

“Hello.” The man greets.

“Hello.” Addison returns.

“Hello.” Cooper cuts in, looking between the two of them. “Oh, I thought we’re saying hello.”

“We’re not.” Addison snaps, motioning to leave. 

“Kitten.” The man says.

“My name is Addison.” She says evenly, trying to remain calm in spite of obviously being furious at the man before her. She pushes past him to get towards her office. Jake has no idea who this man is, but the fact his mere presence seems to upset his girlfriend doesn’t sit right with him. He moves to stand in between them, blocking the man from following Addison any further. 

“I think you should leave.” Jake says politely. The man looks at him incredulously. “She obviously doesn’t want to see you.

“And just who the hell are you?” He asks. 

“He’s right.” Addison cuts in, moving back towards the elevator. Jake and the man follow suit. She presses the button for the elevator. “You need to leave. Now.” 

The man contemplates trying to stay for a moment, glancing between Jake, who is standing guard behind him, and Charlotte and Cooper at the reception, before turning back to Addison in defeat. “I’m at the Carlyle.”

He gets into the elevator without further fuss. Addison sighs, calmer but still tense. She gives Jake a grateful look before heading back towards her office. Jake follows her, closing the door behind him. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Addison warns, taking a seat at her desk. She puts her head in her hands, running a hand through her hair. 

“All right.” Jake responds, sitting down on the chair opposite the desk. Addison looks up, raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t say anything about not wanting company.”

Addison can’t quite resist the fond smile that appears on her face. Her boyfriend was thoughtful beyond words, and had just stood up to her father without having a single idea of who he was and why she didn’t want him around. Moments like these made her wonder what she did to deserve him. “Don’t you have patients?” 

“Not for another half hour, no.”

She decides to throw him a bone. “That was my father back there.”

“I thought you didn’t want to talk about it?” Jake teases, taking the information in stride. Addison gives him an exasperated look, shaking her head.

“I don’t, but you deserve an explanation after standing up for me like that.” She replies, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Jake smiles back. 

_Is this the end of all the endings?_

_My broken bones are mending_

_With all these nights we’re spending_

_Up on the roof with a schoolgirl crush_

_Drinking beer out of plastic cups_

_Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff_

“I need to tell you something.” Addison announces, entering Jake’s office. She’d just gotten back from the airport, her send-off with Bizzy having brought her to an important realization. She didn’t want her relationship to end up like Bizzy and the Captain’s, that was a fact she’d known her entire life. The thing was, her parent’s relationship was apparently full of even more secrets than she’d expected. There were enough skeletons in that closet to fill the entire estate she grew up in. Addison realized she didn’t want her relationship with Jake to even remotely resemble that of her parents, or even those last few years with Derek, and if she wanted to achieve that then she needed to be honest. 

“Okay…” Jake says cautiously, putting away the paperwork he’d been working on. Addison moves to stand behind the chair across Jake’s desk, bracing herself for what she was about to say. She stares at the floor for a long moment, prompting Jake to call her attention. “Addison?”

“Sorry.” She says quickly. “It’s just—the way you look at me. It’s very open, very honest. I don’t want you to look at me differently because of what I’m about to say.” 

“Why would I look at you differently?”  
  


Addison swallows the lump in her throat. She had a good thing going here, possibly the best thing that’s come into her life in a long time. She didn’t want to lose it, didn’t want to lose him. But if she wanted to keep him… he needed to know the truth. Addison wills herself to begin talking before she loses her nerve entirely.

“I told you I was married before, right?”

_Baby, all at once, this is enough_

“Coming!” Addison yells, rushing down the stairs of her beach house to answer the door. It was odd, considering she hadn’t been expecting any company and her chinese takeout had already arrived. She opens the door, eyes widening in surprise. “Jake?”

“Hi.” Jake stands at the door. “Can I come in?”  
  


“Uh yeah, sure.” Addison replies dazedly, moving aside to let him in. “What are you doing here? I thought you would never want to see me again.”

“You kind of ran out earlier before I got a word in.” Jake says lightly. Addison nods, averting her eyes elsewhere, worried she already knew where the conversation was headed.

“It was nice of you to come here,” She says, hoping her WASP upbringing would hide the fact her heart is shattering in a million pieces. “But really, if you’re here to break up with me then—”

“What? No,” Jake interrupts. “Addison, look at me.” His hands reach up to cup her face. Her blue eyes are shining with unshed tears. “I want to be with you.”

“Even though I’m a dirty cheater?” She asks softly.

“You’re not a dirty cheater.” He says firmly, eyes locked on hers. “You’re a person who made a mistake. Several mistakes.” He amends, knowing she was about to point out she’d done it more than once. “That doesn’t make you unworthy of love, it makes you human. And I want to be with you, no matter how ugly your past or crazy your family is. I’m all in. I’m in love with you, Addison, and I’m not going to let you drive me away.”

“You’re in love with me?” She couldn’t believe it, she’d told him everything and he still wanted to stay. A tear escapes her eye which Jake wipes away quickly. 

“You bet your ass I am.” A wide grin appears on Addison’s face, Jake’s words truly sinking in.

“I love you too.” She replies, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him. 

_And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for_

_King of my heart, body and soul (ooh, woah)_

_And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for_

_King of my heart, body and soul (ooh, woah)_

_And all at once, you’re all I want, I’ll never let you go_

_King of my heart (my heart), body, and soul (my soul, ooh woah)_


End file.
